I saved a bee today!
Discussion
Warning - this is a 'cool story bro' and so not very interesting if you're not really into nature!
When I got up this morning, I found a 'fully-striped livery' bumble bee on my bathroom windowsill. I think it had come in yesterday, although I didn't see it. The poor thing was still alive, but barely. Not animated at all, even when gently poked.
I put a little bit of honey on a dish, and carefully lifted him onto the plate, near the edge of the blob of honey. He immediately extended his proboscis ( I think it's called ) and presumably began eating. It's little body was moving in and out, almost like a concertina! I was fascinated to see him up close, I loved his colourful fur, and his stubby little legs. He was a beautiful little creature.
After about 20 minutes of me not being sure if it was helping much, he suddenly withdrew from the honey, and started to preen his face and antennae with his front legs. He began to walk around the dish with some conviction, and stand tall, whilst buzzing his wings more and more.
I went outside holding the dish, and after some more buzzing he suddenly took off from the dish, and flew up and away over the garden wall at a hell of a pace!
I know this isn't a terribly exciting story to relate, but I wanted to share it because it gave me such delight to have helped a tiny little insect that was near death, to get back to his hive and hopefully continue where he left off before becoming trapped in my bathroom. With all the doom and gloom of Covid and politics, a little thing like this lifted my spirits like nothing else. I feel really fortunate to have had such a lovely affirmation with nature today.
When I got up this morning, I found a 'fully-striped livery' bumble bee on my bathroom windowsill. I think it had come in yesterday, although I didn't see it. The poor thing was still alive, but barely. Not animated at all, even when gently poked.
I put a little bit of honey on a dish, and carefully lifted him onto the plate, near the edge of the blob of honey. He immediately extended his proboscis ( I think it's called ) and presumably began eating. It's little body was moving in and out, almost like a concertina! I was fascinated to see him up close, I loved his colourful fur, and his stubby little legs. He was a beautiful little creature.
After about 20 minutes of me not being sure if it was helping much, he suddenly withdrew from the honey, and started to preen his face and antennae with his front legs. He began to walk around the dish with some conviction, and stand tall, whilst buzzing his wings more and more.
I went outside holding the dish, and after some more buzzing he suddenly took off from the dish, and flew up and away over the garden wall at a hell of a pace!
I know this isn't a terribly exciting story to relate, but I wanted to share it because it gave me such delight to have helped a tiny little insect that was near death, to get back to his hive and hopefully continue where he left off before becoming trapped in my bathroom. With all the doom and gloom of Covid and politics, a little thing like this lifted my spirits like nothing else. I feel really fortunate to have had such a lovely affirmation with nature today.
It's a shame more on here don't share or understand your values.
My wife always picked up cold bees and fed them honey. Very docile and happy to be revived. It's very rewarding to do 'your bit' for nature and nature rewards given half a chance.
Of course many are to busy ripping up their gardens to park some stty bit of white goods up front, derr.
My wife always picked up cold bees and fed them honey. Very docile and happy to be revived. It's very rewarding to do 'your bit' for nature and nature rewards given half a chance.
Of course many are to busy ripping up their gardens to park some stty bit of white goods up front, derr.
Boosted LS1 said:
Of course many are to busy ripping up their gardens to park some stty bit of white goods up front, derr.
Or fake grass...This year we've gone on a bit of a planting spree. Lots of lavender, sunflowers, foxgloves etc.
Our garden I'm sure to most looks overgrown and a mess but we have a lot of insects, bees, bugs, and frogs.
Especially earlier on in the year when our rosemary Bush was awash with blue flowers, it was always swarming with bees.
From what I understand bees suffer with dehydration so a rock pool feature that they can land on and have a drink is a great benefit to them.
Some friends nearby trashed the rear garden and pond as it was a bit unruly. It all got covered in sand, slabs and some decking. Then the built a bar and hung up a plastic hedge. It's hard to believe but these people are real. They have no appreciation of the natural world as the disconnect is so huge.
So what was once a garden full of insects, birds,life and a pond that will have had frogs and maybe newts is now an area of fakery and useless from a wildlife perspective. It was a decent sized garden.
So what was once a garden full of insects, birds,life and a pond that will have had frogs and maybe newts is now an area of fakery and useless from a wildlife perspective. It was a decent sized garden.
Ambleton said:
Boosted LS1 said:
Of course many are to busy ripping up their gardens to park some stty bit of white goods up front, derr.
Or fake grass...This year we've gone on a bit of a planting spree. Lots of lavender, sunflowers, foxgloves etc.
Our garden I'm sure to most looks overgrown and a mess but we have a lot of insects, bees, bugs, and frogs.
Especially earlier on in the year when our rosemary Bush was awash with blue flowers, it was always swarming with bees.
From what I understand bees suffer with dehydration so a rock pool feature that they can land on and have a drink is a great benefit to them.
Tango13 said:
I needed to re-seed some of the borders in both gardens when I moved here a couple of years back. I googled 'best seed mix for bees and butterflies' or something similar. I've given up trying to count how many bees I get of various species, some are tiny and some could take a fully grown cow
just looked at similar things and we have virtually all the recommended plants already well established or on the way.Some of them do rather take over, but the ground cover offered by the spreading geraniums is used extensively by frogs.
Ambleton said:
Tango13 said:
I needed to re-seed some of the borders in both gardens when I moved here a couple of years back. I googled 'best seed mix for bees and butterflies' or something similar. I've given up trying to count how many bees I get of various species, some are tiny and some could take a fully grown cow
just looked at similar things and we have virtually all the recommended plants already well established or on the way.Some of them do rather take over, but the ground cover offered by the spreading geraniums is used extensively by frogs.
This years foxgloves could strike fear into the heart of a triffid which is pretty good as last year they did bugger all.
Not had any butterfies this year though, might still be a bit early for them?
Sorry to be the nerdy one when it comes to saving bees. Please don’t feed them honey, ever. Feed them sugary water, and if necessary warm them up in a cupped hand (safe for bumbles, honey bees with thank you the a sting).
There are a whole load of diseases spread by honey, and you have no idea at all where supermarket honey comes from. There are frequent outbreaks of American and European foul brood near honey processing plants. Foul brood is nasty - turns the hives to goop inside, and the only real answer is to burn them.
Honey jars are the only recycling that I bother to wash - bees are very good at finding honey (as you’d expect), so when you lob out your (Chinese in all likelihood) supermarket honey, you’re possibly exposing them to disease.
There are a whole load of diseases spread by honey, and you have no idea at all where supermarket honey comes from. There are frequent outbreaks of American and European foul brood near honey processing plants. Foul brood is nasty - turns the hives to goop inside, and the only real answer is to burn them.
Honey jars are the only recycling that I bother to wash - bees are very good at finding honey (as you’d expect), so when you lob out your (Chinese in all likelihood) supermarket honey, you’re possibly exposing them to disease.
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